The New Girl
by Houseki
Summary: COMPLETE::A girl from America appears at Haru, Kyo, etc's school as a forgein exchange student and quickly makes friends with the Sohmas. But when Haru begins to fall for her and she finds out the Sohma's secret, total chaos ensues!
1. Arival of the Wonder Girl

Hey people! Houseki here! Your wonderful, amazing, perfect, beautiful, charming, lovely, and modest authoress here! (I'm not THAT egotistical by the way) As some of you Inu-chan fans out there may know, I am obsessed with the doggy-boy and proud of it! (But Miroku's hotter! Heehee!) And as some of you others may know, it takes a lot to get me obsessed enough to write a fan fiction. And obsessed with Furuba I am!!! I loooooooooooooooooove Haru!!! He's so cool! Anyway, enough of my blabber. Here's the story.

Oh, and sorry if I write something that screws up or contradicts the show. I've only read the first three manga and the second one didn't even count because right after Haru and Kyo's fight it repeated the entire first part and then skipped ahead to Momiji talking to Tohru about Hatori and Kana so I am VERY VERY sorry if the people go OOC or I mess up something, but technically, you can't blame me! failed attempt at innocence. Ok, blame me. :p

Standard disclaimers apply. Duh.

* * *

Hatsuharu took his seat in the back of the class silently, as usual. He stared straight ahead, not ready for another day of school. He vaguely heard the teacher announce the arrival of a new student, some foreign exchange kid from the states. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, trying to relax, when he saw her come in.

"Class," the teacher announced as the girl made her way to the front desk to stand near the teacher. "This is Miss Kassandra Herb, from the United States. She'll be joining us here for a few months courtesy of the foreign exchange program. I hope you will all do your best to make her feel at home while she's here."

"Kass, please. Nice to meet y'all."

His first thought was, 'She's beautiful.' His second, 'She's awesome.' His third, 'She's beautiful.' And she was. Her long natural blonde hair flowed down to the middle of her back and her long bangs nearly covered her deep brown eyes and framed her face wonderfully. She was dressed in black jeans ripped off at the knees with a black tank that read "Like I care," in bold red letters. She was wearing about five chains, all silver, two of which had been strung with silver rings. Half of each lower arm was concealed by bracelets and two brown eyes hung from her ears. She smiled brightly and moved to take the seat next to Haru, which was the only empty seat in the room.

"Hiya!" she beamed. "I'm Kass... well, duh you already know that. Never mind. What's your name?"

"H-Hatsuharu," he stuttered out. Her Japanese was nearly perfect. "Call me Haru."

"Kay! Haru," she said, testing the sound of his name. "Cool!" She beamed again. "So, is that natural?" she questioned, leaning back slightly to look at the back of his head.

"Yes," Haru said in monotone.

"Awesome!" Kass beamed yet again.

"Kass?!" the teacher called. "Just because you're new doesn't mean you can break rules. Now sit up and pay attention or you'll be staying after school on your first day here."

"Yes'm!" she shouted back. Then she looked over at Haru and winked. He was a little confused, but she didn't notice, as she was busy taking out a Sharpie to draw on the parts of her arm not covered b y her bracelets. He stared at her for a while and almost jumped when she suddenly whipped out a pencil and paper and scribbled hastily on it. Then she crumpled it up and tossed it at him. She began watching the teacher again like she was actually paying attention the whole time.

Haru reached out and uncrumpled the note. 'Do you wanna hang after school?' it read, in perfect kanji. 'You're my first friend an' I need someone to show me around. What do you say?' Beneath that she had doodled a happy face saying "Please!" over and over. He slowly wrote "Sure" and tossed it back at Kass. She read it quickly and grinned, then went back to staring straight ahead.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without incident. Haru met up with Yuki, Kyo, Tohru, and Momiji after school ended with Kass tagging along behind him.

"Who's the girl?" Kyo demanded.

"Howdy!" Kass said in English, not even bothering to see if Haru would answer for her. "I'm Kass! I'm from the USA. Nice to meet ya!" She beamed again. (A/N: Happy person, huh?)

"Hello!" Tohru smiled. "I'm Tohru Honda. This is Yuki Sohma, Kyo Sohma, and Momiji Sohma." Tohru beamed back at Kass.

"Brothers?" Kass asked.

"Cousins," Yuki answered.

"Him, too?" she gestured to Haru.

"Richtig!" Momiji interrupted. "Sehr hubsch!" Kass giggled.

"Danke!" she replied, still giggling.

"Sprechan ze Deutsch?"

"Ja!"

"Wunderbar!"

"Um..." Tohru interrupted.

"He said, 'Correct.' Then, 'You're very pretty.' I said 'Thank you.' he said 'You speak German?' I said 'yes'. He said, 'Wonderful.'" Kass explained. "My mother was German."

"Can we go?" Kyo said, annoyed at the delay.

"Yes!" Tohru replied happily. "Let's go!" She took Yuki and Kyo's hands and they began walking off together. Momiji followed after them, shouting, "I'm gonna visit, Sensei, Haa-chan! Alright?"

Haru didn't bother yelling back.

"So? You gonna show me around or just stand there?"

* * *

Next Chapter:

"Haru!"

"Stupid! You let Haru show you around?!"

"We got lost."

* * *

So, what do ya think? Is everyone in character so far? Oh, I hope so! gets REALLY worried If they aren't in character it ruins my story! Nooo! I am very sorry if they're OOC!!! sob Review please?


	2. Getting Lost and the SEAL in Disguise

Hi again. THIS IS DEDICATED TO MY TWO REVIEWERS!!! AJIA!!!! AND DAINE-WILDMAGE!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! And if someone reviewed after and I don't get to read it before I post this, sorry I missed you!

Oh, by the way, Daine, Kass is based off of me! Heehee! But I've never been to Germany or Japan.... bummer...

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Haru and Kass made their way through town, Kass gawking at everything the whole way.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "Japan is so amazing! I like it almost as much as Germany! I went to Germany over the summer to find some relatives! I think I'm gonna live there when I get old enough to become a citizen!" she said happily. She was so happy all the time, always positive, and she kind of reminded him of Tohru.

"Hey, you awake?" she said, her face suddenly invading his vision.

"I was just thinking."

"Oh. That's cool," she went silent for a moment, looking around at everything so unfamiliar to her. "Wow!" Kass suddenly exclaimed rushing down an alley. Haru walked after her.

"How awesome!" She was standing a few feet from the brick wall of a crumbling building. She was staring intently at the painting on the wall. "It's beautiful! I didn't know there was graffiti other places too! I thought it was just the places in America! I didn't see any in Germany!" she shouted, clearly very excited. "Of course, my relatives never let me go to any place that might have had graffiti.... I wonder why?" she trailed off and remained silent for a few more minutes, admiring the pattern on the wall.

"Where are we?" she said suddenly. "I'd like to come back sometime and look for more! Maybe do some of my own!" she winked at Haru, but became concerned when he didn't answer right away.

"I don't know where we are. It's all suddenly unfamiliar. I once again find myself in a strange place. Hm...." Haru tried to figure out where they were and to keep from panicking, Kass went back to staring at the painting. (A/N: not like she'd really panic... I wouldn't panic....)

Neither noticed the group of men heading towards them.

"Hey, baby. What're you doin' wastin' your time with a freak like this?" came the call from behind them. Kass spun quickly while Haru slowly turned around. Four men were standing before them, obviously thugs. "Like my work, baby?"

"Actually, this is the worst example of graffiti I've ever seen. It's pathetic. You should be ashamed to even hint that it's yours." Kass replied coolly. Haru just stared.

"Hey, man, this broad's pretty spunky," the man who spoke before said to the guy beside him. "I like that. Why don't you ditch this loser an' come with me?" It was more of a demand than a request.

"Sorry, but I'd rather have my toenails ripped off. So," she raised a hand and waved at them. "Bye bye." Kass turned towards Haru, taking his hand and leading him out of the alley.

"Hey, bitch! Who told you you could leave? I ain't done with your ass yet!" the apparent leader called. Kass raised a hand, clenching all but her middle finger into a fist. The men growled, and the leader cried, "Get her!"

One of the men rushed up behind her, receiving a blow to the top of the head before he even touched her. He was knocked unconscious immediately. The rest of them flung themselves at the pair of teenagers. One was taken down with a blow behind the ear, another with an uppercut connecting with his chin. The man who had been in charge stared in awe at his three unconscious henchmen, before he received a knife-hand beneath the nose.

He cried out in pain, then had a thumb jabbed into his throat, causing him to cough and gag. He was finished off with a hammer-fist to the temple.

Kass smiled at Haru, who was in shock. That little girl had just taken out four grown men twice her size, all by herself in a matter of seconds. "My cousin was a Navy SEAL," she beamed. She looked about to say more when they heard a car horn and turned to see Hatori staring at them from his car.

"Haru!" he called. He seemed angry, then he say the unconscious men behind them. 'Great,' he thought. 'He's gone black again.' But then he noticed the girl beside him was smiling and Haru was in shock, not the other way around.

Haru made his way to the car, followed by the girl. Hatori stared at her as they neared

"Haru, get in the car," the dragon demanded, still angered, as he had been out looking for Haru for over an hour. "It's seven o'clock," he told the ox. Haru got inside, but Kass remained outside.

"Um..." she said nervously. "Are you a cousin of Haru's too?"

"Yes," Hatori said through the open window.

"Um, could you please give me a ride into town? I need to find my guardian's house."

"Sure," Hatori sighed. "Get in."

"Thank you!" she cried out in English as she slipped into the car next to Haru.

"Do you have the address?" Hatori asked.

"Yes! Here," she handed him a piece of paper she had pulled from her pocket. Hatori frowned when he saw it.

* * *

"What a surprise! How've you been, Momiji?" Shigure asked, welcoming the distraction, as his muse had refused to visit him today.

"Wonderful!" he cried.

"Oh, before I forget, did any of you see an American named Kass at school today?"

"Yes!" Tohru called from the kitchen. "She was with Hatsuharu-san!"

"Do any of you know where they went?"

"Don't care," Kyo said from down the hall before leaving for his afternoon training.

"You should! She'll be staying with us!" Yuki choked on his tea, Kyo cried out: "WHAT!?" Tohru smiled, and Momiji cried out wonderful in German again.

"How did this happen!?" shouted Kyo, rushing into Shigure's office.

"I merely volunteered to take care of a young foreign girl for the three months she'll be in Japan," He said with a grin.

Momiji was saying goodbye to Yuki and Tohru in the front yard, and in the awkward silence Kyo could hear him clearly

"You're a perv, you know that?" Kyo growled as he walked outside. Shigure chuckled and went back to his writing.

* * *

Hatori's car pulled to a stop in front of Shigure's house. "This is it," he sighed.

"Thank you very much!" she shouted as she ran off towards the house. She rung the doorbell, waving to Hatori as he drove away with Haru.

A soft "Hello?" brought her attention back to the door.

"Hi is-" she stopped in mid-sentence. "Tohru? I'll be staying with you? Neat! Is a," she fished out the piece of paper from her pocket again. "'Shigure' here?"

"Yes!" Tohru said with a smile. "We've been waiting for you!"

"Where've you been?" Shigure called happily from the living room. "We were worried!"

"Hello Mr. Shigure! Haru was just showing me around. We got lost," she giggled.

"Stupid!" came a familiar voice. She turned to see Kyo coming down the stairs. "You let Haru show you around?!"

"Kyo, now is that anyway to treat a guest?" Shigure scolded from the couch.

"Stupid cat," Kass spun to see Yuki coming through the back door.

"Cool! I get to live with all of you!" she exclaimed, not even noticing Yuki had called Kyo a cat.

"You can stay in my room, Kass! Your things arrived a few hours ago!" Tohru smiled. "Do you need some help unpacking?"

"Sure! Thank you so much!" Kass sighed. 'I think I'm gonna like it here,' she thought.

* * *

Next Chapter:

"Ah!"

"Stupid cat."

"We're not like normal people."

* * *

Ya like? Please tell me. REVIEW!!

Oh, and my cousin's a Marine, not a SEAL, btw.


	3. Sketch Wars and Secret Revealed

I'm so excited! I have a faithful reviewer! GO YOU DAINE!! Whoo! I don't have much to say beside that, so I'll go right to the story. Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply. Uh duh.

* * *

"Thank you so much for helping me unpack, Tohru!"

"You're very welcome! I'm so happy we'll be rooming together!" Tohru exclaimed as the pair mad their way down stairs to cook dinner.

"Me too! But I feel bad about staying here and not doing anything in return. (A/N: sounds familiar...) I know! How about tomorrow I make dinner, American style!"

"Um... sure! I'll be looking forward to it!"

"Great!" The girls worked together on dinner, and that night it was prepared twice as fast as usual.

"This is great, Honda-san. You've really outdone yourself," Yuki commented between bites.

"Yah!" Kyo said with his mouth full. "Iss reey guub." (Translation: Yeah. It's really good.)

"Thank you, but Kass-kun helped too!" Tohru smiled.

"We're so lucky! We have two wonderful cooks now!" Shigure chuckled.

"Um, actually I can't cook at all. I make sandwiches and instant foods. Tohru told me exactly what to do," Kass said.

"But I thought you said you were going to cook an American meal tomorrow," Tohru said slowly.

"I will! ALL INSTANT FOODS!!" Kass yelled, standing up to reveal a bag full of various instant foods. "I brought them with me!" she beamed. (Cue the anime face plants and multiple sweat drops.)

* * *

At school

* * *

"How ya doin', Haru!" Kass said, smiling as usual as she took a seat beside him.

"What?"

"Uh, sorry. I keep speaking in English! Sorry," she said, a little embarrassed. She turned her attention to the shoulder bag on the floor beside her (A/N: she doesn't have a locker yet, or a school uniform), pulling out a small black object and some very small headphones. She plugged in the headphones and threaded the wires through her long sleeve so there was a small speaker in each hand. She switched the black device on and put her hand to her ears. She looked over at Haru and said quietly, "Mp3."

Haru nodded in knowing, then watched as Kass began to slowly bob her head to the music and move her lips ever so slightly. He got a funny feeling in his gut watching her and tried to pay attention to the

Teacher, who was yapping about some old haikus written by a dead guy (they're in language arts or whatever they call it in Japan), but the feeling wouldn't go away.

The bell soon rang and Kass followed Haru to their next class. (They have the same schedule. Heehee!) Her hands were still glued to her ears, and when she noticed him staring she said, "Wanna listen?"

"Sure," Haru said as she pulled a speaker out of her shirt. He got another funny feeling, but it vanished when the American music was suddenly blasting in his ears. How did she have it that loud without anyone hearing?

"It's the Aqua Bats!" she smiled up at him. "They're my favorite band! The song's called 'Pizza Day.' I'll translate it for you later," she said quickly and went back to listening. The song ended right as they reached their next class. She took her headphone back from him before the sensei saw and took a seat in the back corner.

This was math, and Haru sat two seats to her left. He leaned back in his chair again, not listening to the endless drabble about how numbers are friends. Instead he focused on Kass, who was also ignoring the drabble to doodle on her notes. He leaned back a little farther to see what she was drawing and- CRASH! His chair slid out from underneath him and his head slammed against the back wall.

Everyone turned to see what had happened, even Kass, who stared at him awkwardly, doodled on her paper again, and held it up for him to see.

It was a quickly drawn sketch of a chibi style Kass laughing at a chibi style Haru. He couldn't help but grin as he picked himself up and the rest of the class went back to studying. He drew a return sketch of a chibi Haru giving a chibi Kass a noogie. Beneath that, he wrote: 'Wanna meet after school again?'

He crumpled up the note and chucked it over the other kid's heads, so it landed right in the middle of Kass's desk. She stared at it, then Haru, then quickly tore open the note, almost ripping it in half. She grinned at the doodle, then turned back at him and nodded 'yes.'

They sent doodles back and forth for the rest of the class. (A/N: I think that was so OOC!!! Sorry!! Whaa!)

Next was science. They walked slowly down the hall, now listening to 'Hell's Bells' by AC/DC, when suddenly Momiji appeared.

"Guten tag!" he shouted, suddenly between them.

"Guten tag, Momiji! Wie geht's?" (Good day, Momiji. How are you?)

"Gut, danke! Und dir?" (Good, thanks. And you?)

"Danke, sehr gut!" (Thanks, very well.)

"Yey!" Momiji cried out, smiling and throwing his hands into the air.

Haru ignored him and Kass handed him a headphone so he could listen to Nirvana, which had just began playing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' They received some weird glances walking down the hall together, tied together by the wire from Kass's headphones.

"What is he saying, Kass?" Momiji asked.

"Um, I'm not sure...."

The rest of the day passed quickly for Kass and Haru. They continued the sketch war, she translated the songs, except for Nirvana, which no one can understand. Kass was caught drawing on the wall and had to stay after school to wash the entire wall, so their after school outing was postponed until she was allowed to leave, which both were disappointed about.

Tohru had convinced Kyo to stay after with her and Momiji while Yuki was with the student council and Haru was sitting on a bench near the school to avoid getting lost.

"This is stupid! I shouldn't have to waste my time waiting for some dumb American!" Kyo grumbled, leaning against the school.

"Kass-san doesn't know the way home from school yet, and Sohma-kun will be staying longer than her, so he can't show her. We have to stay."

"Whatever," Kyo muttered, turning quickly to go inside and drag Kass out ... just as she was coming outside. They ran into each other and- POOF!

"Ah!" Kass shrieked quickly. She peered down at Kyo, now in cat form, with a confused expression on her face. "Kyo?"

"What!?" the orange cat hissed.

"Ah! You're a cat!"

"Naw, I thought I was a monkey," Kyo growled.

"That's Rit-chan!" Momiji giggled.

"Great," Haru said, slowly walking up to the scene. "Kyo's let another person find out."

"She was gonna find out anyway! With her always following you around! And with you quieter than usual around her it's a wonder she hangs with you at all!" Haru winced slightly.

"Stupid cat," Yuki's voice floated over the scene. "Stop trying to blame someone else for your stupidity."

"Would someone mind telling me what the heck is going-" POOF!

"Eek!" Tohru and Kass cried out at once.

* * *

The six teens gathered around the table at Shigure's house, who was out at the moment.

"We're not like normal people," Yuki began.

"No shit," Kyo grumbled in the corner.

"Shut up, stupid cat." Yuki spat. He continued, "We are possessed by vengeful spirits of the Chinese Zodiac, and we transform when our bodies become weak or when we're hugged by someone of the opposite sex. Kyo is the cat, I am the rat, Momiji the rabbit, Shigure the dog, and Haru the ox."

"Is Hatori part of the ... Zodiac too?" Kass asked, still a bit confused.

"Yes, as well as seven other members of the Sohma family."

"Ah," she said, and fell silent, as did everyone else. "I think I'm gonna go upstairs now," she said stiffly, standing and walking slowly up to Tohru's room.

"Great," Haru said to himself.

* * *

Next Chapter:

"Don't get too attached to her."

"Haru? Haru, what are you-mmf!"

"Ha!"

* * *

If anyone wants the chapter of the Navy SEALs training guide that focuses on middle-range combat that I study daily to beat the crap out of people like the guys that attacked Kass in chapter two, (also the book I got all the moves from chapter two for) give me your email address in your review and I'll get it to you as soon as possible! Thank you for reading my story! Please review! Danke!


	4. Stupid Cat and Temper, Temper

I'm getting right to the story because my muse won't let me stop! Now on to the story!

Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

Haru was wandering around again. Waiting for Hatori to show up and take him home. His plans had been cancelled thanks to the cat's stupidity, so he had nothing better to do anyway. He spotted what he thought was the place where he had first met Tohru and decided to rest there for a while.

He lay on his back, staring up at the deep blue sky, which was beginning to take on shades of purple and red. He didn't know how long he was there alone before he heard someone approaching on the road. He didn't pay any attention and closed his eyes.

"Haru?" His eyes slowly opened, as he turned around and was met with a smile. "Hey! Sorry I kinda cancelled our get together," Kass said as she came to sit beside him. Her spider earrings glittered in the failing light.

"'S alright," Haru said softly. Kass beamed at him.

"This is probably better than wandering around town some more, anyway," she said softly, motioning towards the setting sun. Haru nodded, turning his attention back to the horizon.

"Oh, crap!" Kass shouted suddenly, jumping to her feet. "I was supposed to cook dinner tonight! Gotta go! Bye, Haru!" she shouted over her shoulder as she ran down the street. He stared after her, slowly standing and walking over to the car that had just pulled up and its slightly annoyed driver.

Hatori turned to see what Haru was staring at, and frowned as Kass disappeared in the distance. "Get in," he said coolly. Haru slipped in on the passenger's side, taking his seat silently neat to Hatori. "Just," the dragon began. "Don't get too attached to her," he sighed as they drove off.

* * *

"Here ya go!" Kass said cheerily handing out bowls of various instant foods. The Sohma's, and Tohru, stared at the food, which appeared inedible, but with Kass was gulping it down faster than humanly possible.

"Wus ron?" she asked with a mouth full of instant pasta. "Don laik de fud?" She looked slightly hurt. (A/N: She said: What's wrong? Don't like the food?")

"No, no!" Tohru said, quickly. "It's just, I've never seen so much instant food before!"

"I," she swallowed another mouth full. "Always take a bag with me!" she smiled. "Dig in! It's really good!" she said quickly before inhaling some more pasta and moving on to a pack of instant veggie soup.

Tohru smiled and picked up a plastic spork from the center of the table, and hesitantly ate a spork-full of the veggie soup. "Mm!" she said, also with her mouth full of soup. "That is good!" she said smiling. The boys didn't need anymore proof that it was edible, and began chowing down themselves.

"This is wonderful, Kass-san!" Shigure said between bites.

"Thank you!" Kass beamed as she finished the last bite of her meal. Yuki and Kyo grunted in agreement. Kass giggled, picking up her dishes and tossing them into the trash. She skipped down the hall to the bathroom, humming to herself as she turned on the shower, then suddenly singing at the top of her lungs when she got in.

"Strange girl," Yuki muttered.

"She's a freak," said Kyo, tossing his empty food containers into the trash.

* * *

The next day was Sunday, which meant no school and Tohru had the day off. The girls left to go buy food for the next week, Yuki went out to his base, Shigure hid in his study, typing away, and Kyo hung out on the couch after finishing his morning training.

On their way back home, Kass spotted an arcade and after asking Tohru if she minded, dashed off to play video games. Tohru smiled and walked the rest of the way home by herself, humming all the way.

Even though she had left with Tohru at around eight, Kass arrived back at Shigure's at around two. She slid open the door, to be greeted by raised voices and the sound of things being thrown, as well as Shigure's vain attempts to keep whoever was fighting from destroying his house. She gingerly stepped through the doorway, as if the house might explode if she entered.

She saw Tohru coming around the corner and called out: "What's going on?" Tohru heard her and rushed over.

"Hatsuharu-san came over looking for you and Kyo got him upset," she said with a worried look on her face and tears in her eyes. "Now Hatsuharu-san has gone black again and he's fighting with Kyo-kun!"

'Gone black?' Kass thought. 'What the heck is that?' Her thoughts were interrupted though, when Haru came around the corner the same way Tohru did. He caught sight of Kass and began walking quickly towards her.

"Haru?" Kass asked softly. He seemed so tense and agitated, not like his usual calm, easy-going manner. Tohru stared at him with even more worry in her eyes.

"Haru?" she asked again. He now stood but a few inches away from her, a strange glint in his eyes. "Haru, what are you-mmf!" Her words were cut short as he roughly pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Hey!" she heard Kyo yell, though she couldn't see him as Haru was still kissing her. "What's the big idea!" she heard him scream, then she heard a thud as the chair he had thrown connected with Haru's head, ending his kiss and knocking him over.

"Stupid kid! Running away to kiss some American brat! You're pathetic!" Kyo shouted as he dodged Haru's punches. Kass watched intently, confused and still somewhat shaken by Haru's actions a few seconds before. Then what Kyo said sunk in.

"Hey!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, really mad at Kyo for insulting her, and for hitting Haru. "I'm not just some American brat! I could beat you into the ground in seconds, you jerk!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Kyo said, turning his attention to Kass and receiving a hard punch to the face for letting his guard down against black Haru, who had been strangely silent since Kass had shown up. The cat went flying through the wooden support of the wall and into the next room.

"Serves you right!" Kass shouted at his motionless form.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru shouted, rushing through the hole Kyo's body had made to be by his side.

"He'll be fine Tohru. That wasn't anywhere near a vital point, though that was a pretty good punch," she complimented, looking around for Haru but not finding him anywhere.

"Stop destroying my house, Kyo-kun!" Shigure whined when he saw the damage.

"Shut up!" Kyo retorted, as he slowly sat up, rubbing his cheek. He turned to Kass's smirking form, still by the front door. "What'd you say about beating me into the ground?!"

"You heard me," she said slyly.

"You wanna find out?!" Kyo said, jumping to his feet.

"Kyo-kun! Don't fight Kass-san!" Tohru said, new tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't destroy my house, too, Kass-san!" Shigure whined.

"Whatever!" she shouted. Tohru was beginning to think that Kass had a black side, too. Kyo lunged at Kass, who stood perfectly still until the last second, when she quickly thrust out her foot to connect with his lower chest. Kyo fell back, unconscious.

"Eek!" Tohru screeched, rushing over to Kyo again.

"Hmph," Kass grunted. "That stupid cat'll be fine. I just temporarily caused respiratory failure. He'll be fine in a few hours."

"Ha!" shouted black Haru, who had suddenly reappeared behind Kass. "Kyo got knocked out in one kick!"

"What?" Yuki questioned as he entered the room, only just returning from planting more leeks in his base.

"Kass-san knocked out Kyo-kun in one kick," Shigure smiled at Yuki. He continued in a whisper, "And it also appears that she has a black side, too. Better not get her angry, Yuki-kun."

"What?!" Kass shouted at Shigure.

"I'm gonna go finish my newest novel. Have fun, kids!"

* * *

Next Chapter:

"No! What are you doing here?!"

"Huh?!"

"Let's go do graffiti!"

* * *

Kass's temper revealed!! Hee hee! I have anger management problems! Tee hee! Review please!! PLEASE!!


	5. Kyo's Wrath and Momiji, the Solver of Al...

I have three things to say this time before I begin, thank you Kaeru Soyokaze! I'm glad you think that my story is the best Haru/OC fiction! And thank you to all my other reviewers too! ((Houseki hands out gift baskets full of Furuba plushies)) THE PLUSHIES!!! ((Steals Haru plushie from sister)) My Haru!!

And Kass's behavior towards Haru in the first part of this chapter may seem a bit bizarre, like how she didn't really react until now. She was so freaked out that she focused her emotions on Kyo, which is why she freaked at him and didn't get super mad at the people that harassed her in the alley.

And finally, YEY!! A REVIEW FROM RILEY-CHAN!!! HOORA!!! ((Houseki throws a party)) Ach! I is very sorry about the kun thing! But I fixed it! ((grin)) And I know the characters are OOC!! WHAA!! But I don't know them good enough to keep them in character. ((sob)) I promise if I do another Furuba fiction it will be better!! And sorry about Kyo! ((another grin)) He's my second favorite, but I felt an urge to make Kass hit him.... Yeah... not sure why though....

Standard disclaimers apply, as always.

* * *

After Kass and Haru had calmed down, and they had moved Kyo onto the couch, Tohru suggested playing a game of Dai Hin Min while waiting for Kyo to wake up. (A/N: To anyone who's ever played President, Slave, or anything similar to that, that's what Dai Hin Min is. So cool!)

Though there was some tension between Haru and Kass, the game went quite smoothly. Kass and Yuki kept getting the top spots, as Yuki was a natural and Kass played it all the time in America.

"Ha! I'm rich man again!" Kass shouted. "Fear the wrath of Kass the Great! Muwah ha ha ha!" (Cue odd glances and sweat drops.)

After another half hour of Kass and Yuki kicking their butts, Haru and Tohru gave up. Kyo still hadn't woken up yet, and Tohru was getting worried again. She kept glancing over at the couch with a worried expression on her face. She finally decided to just sit on the arm of the couch until he woke up. Yuki said he was going to go shower. He was still sweaty from spending hours at his base planting leeks. That left Haru and Kass alone in the kitchen.

"Well," Kass said slowly, beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Guess it's just you and me, huh?"

Haru sensed her uneasiness and mentally killed himself. Why did his black side have to go and kiss her? He probably ruined any chance he had had with her. He was getting ready to apologize when Kass suddenly stood.

"I'm gonna go up to Tohru's room. I, uh, gotta write my folks," she said stiffly and began walking towards the stairway.

"Kass," Haru spoke softly. She turned to look at him, then continued upstairs. He sighed and went to call Hatori.

* * *

"Why did I leave?" Kass asked herself when she was safely in Tohru's room. "I'm so stupid!" she scolded herself as she fell onto the bed. She ran a hand through her hair, sighing again.

'Why did he kiss me anyway?' she thought. 'He can't like me, can he?' She rolled over on her side. 'Of course not. Even if he did he probably hates me now.'

* * *

Haru collapsed on his bed at the main Sohma house. 'She hates me,' he thought. 'She hates me. She hates me.' He smacked himself and rolled onto his stomach, trying to force sleep to come.

(A/N: Don't you hate people like that? People that convince themselves the object of their affections hates them, no matter how obvious it is that they like them back?.... Silly, but I had to force it on Haru and Kass for what I'm planning later, even if it's OOC for both of them.)

* * *

When Kyo finally woke up, it was around six o' clock, and he was fuming. He had been knocked out for nearly four hours by a girl. A very small, five foot one American girl at that. And a year younger than him!

He jumped to his feet the instant he awoke, much to the distress of Tohru, and marched up to her room. He kicked the door down, yelling at the top of his lungs: "Fluke! I demand a rematch!" even though his chest still hurt.

"Go away," came the muffled reply from under the sheets of Tohru's (and now Kass's too) bed.

"No!" screamed Kyo. "Not until I get a rematch!" He stomped over to the bed and ripped off the sheets, receiving a very unexpected elbow in the gut from Kass, who was still curled up on her side. Kyo wasn't hurt by the blow, as Yuki's where all much harder, but it really pissed him off.

"Get up, you damn American!" He shouted as he picked Kass up over his head and tried to fling her into the hall. But she had latched onto his arms and he couldn't get her off. "You're pissin' me off, stupid American!"

"My name is Kass, moron," she muttered from above him.

"Whatever!" he screamed, giving up on flinging her and settling for trying to slam her against the walls. She let go and fell to the floor right before she hit the wall, and Kyo slammed his hands against it instead, making him madder.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru shouted from the doorway. "Don't fight with Kass-san! She's not feeling good right now!"

Kass smiled a little. Not feeling good? She was miserable, depressed, crushed, and tired. And she didn't need Kyo in here trying to beat her senseless.

"Go away," she repeated.

"Not in the mood?" Kyo mocked concern. "Too bad!" He lunged at her again and she just turned her back. Kyo stopped his attack and stared. She wasn't afraid of getting beaten?

"Ugh! You're so annoying! You aren't worth my time!" Kyo stomped downstairs, leaving Tohru and Kass in their room.

Tohru looked about to comfort her roommate, when she heard some one downstairs shout: "No! What are you doing here?! Ah!" She hesitated, then rushed downstairs to find Kyo being beaten by Kagura.

Kass ignored the commotion downstairs, instead she rummaged through her things to find her songbook. She flipped it open to the first blank page and began writing. She wrote three songs, a record for her, before she began to feel better. Then she fished out her CD player and her CD of her hand chosen mood songs. She skipped to her depression group and blasted Yellowcard's 'Only One' until she fell asleep.

* * *

No words passed between Haru and Kass until the end of math, when a ball of paper landed on Kass's desk. She looked over at Haru, a frown on her face, and slowly opened the note. It read: 'Meet me beside the building after school' She scribbled back a reply. 'Fine'

On their way to science, Kass pulled Haru aside before Momiji saw them. "I'm sorry I ran away yesterday," she blurted out quickly. "And I'm not gonna bother with any excuses because I didn't have a reason." She quickly turned and rushed off towards class. Haru was about to say something to her when Momiji appeared, eager to start another conversation with his half-German friend.

Kass faked a smile at the rabbit and went along with whatever he was saying. Haru saw his cousin's smile vanish for a moment when Momiji turned around to look at him, then heard him quickly say something to Kass, and his smile returned. Kass looked confused, but Momiji just grinned.

"Huh?!" Kass shouted, receiving many odd glances from the other people in the hall.

* * *

After School

* * *

Haru waited, leaning against the school building. When Kass came around the corner, he opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

"Let's go do graffiti!" She shouted at him.

* * *

Next Chapter:

"It's beautiful!"

"Kass-san?"

"I thought so."

* * *

I said everything in the opening author's note so.... REVIEW PLEASE!!! If you do I'll give you more plushies!


	6. Graffiti and the Shortest Chapter

You guys, I am so sorry I couldn't update earlier, but I have an excellent excuse! I was hit by Hurricane Frances and I didn't have any electricity for two and a half days. ((sob)) I never knew how much we relied on it.... And now here comes Ivan. This is the first time since 1964 that three hurricanes have hit Florida in one year. And it's headed straight for me. Category five by the time it gets here, so if I don't post another new chapter by Christmas, I probably won't ever post again. So scary! ((sobsob))

And also, the graffiti thing was a bit random, but then, so am I, so, so is Kass. ((bizarre glances)) Anyway, I do random things to cope with depression, like, last time I wrote all over my wall. And before that I cleaned out my closet and before that ..... You guys don't wanna hear this. You want the story. So here it is.

Oh, before I forget. Ajiya, (did I spell that right?) if you read any Fruits Basket story on f-f-net, read "Darkness Drowning." It is indescribable. So amazing words cannot explain it. It makes my story look like it was written by a three year old. All of you other readers should read it too. In fact, everyone forget about my story and go read "Darkness Drowning." Seriously. It's that good. Now get. Go read it. Now. Stop reading my story. Go. Stop reading now . . . . Ugh. Never mind. ((gumbles stubborn readers grumbles))

Standard disclaimers apply. (When have they not?)

* * *

After Haru had agreed to go illegally paint pictures on someone's wall, Kass dragged him down to the store as fast as she could. She quickly bought four cans of every color spray paint the store had in stock, shoved two of the plastic bags in Haru's hands and carried the others herself.

After walking in silence for about ten minutes, Haru finally blurted out: "I'm sorry. I – I wasn't in control of myself." (A/N: for some reason that seems totally out of character... but I don't know cuz I've only read 43 pages! Which ain't a lot for a manga... Sorry this note is so long!)

Kass stopped walking, as did the young man beside her. She turned to him, and he held his breath. For some reason her opinion mattered more to him than anyone else's. She smiled and he exhaled slowly.

"If I cared about one thing you did when you weren't yourself, would I have invited you to come graffiti stuff with me?" she grinned at him. She gave him a peck on the cheek, then quickly grabbed his hand and tugged. "Come on! Let's go doodle on walls!"

"Wow! You're really good at this! And you've never tried it before?" Kass said as she stared at Haru's work. He had painted a seemingly random design, but one which seemed to fit perfectly. "It's beautiful!" she beamed at him, and he gave her a small smile of his own. She pulled out a black can to put the finishing touches on her art, a withered rose in the kanji symbol for love, then signed it, K.H. in English letters.

* * *

Two months later

* * *

Haru entered Shigure's house without knocking, since he came over almost every day now. This was his second time walking here alone that he hadn't gotten lost this week. He strode into the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water and heading into the living room. Unfortunately, the only one there was Shigure.

"Oh, hello, Haa-kun! You just missed Kass-san! She left a little while ago with Kyo-kun. Yuki-kun and Tohru-san went too. I think they're at the arcade. Should be back in a little while," Shigure said.

"Alright, I'll hang out here, then," Haru replied, casually taking a seat next to Shigure. He pulled a small paperback out of his pocket and began reading. Shigure was about to say something when he heard the front door slam open.

"Kyo-kun?" Shigure called out. He was answered with the sounds of Kyo and Kass arguing, yet again.

"You cheated!" Kyo screamed.

"I did not! I'm just better at video games! Get off it! You lost! I won! Go away!" Kass screamed back.

"No! Not until you admit you cheated! You rigged all the games!" Kyo continued stubbornly.

"How?!" Kass cried out in frustration. "How could I have rigged every single game in the entire arcade?!"

"I don't know, but you did!"

"Listen to yourself! You're paranoid!" Kass shouted over her shoulder as she entered the living room. Spotting Haru on the couch, she rushed over. "Hey, Haru!"

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Kyo's upset cause I beat him at every game in the arcade."

"Hey!" Kyo screamed, following Kass into the room. "Stop chatting with Haru and get over here!" Kass and Haru ignored him.

"So, where are Yuki and Tohru?"

"Oh, we met up with Ayame on the way up there and they decided to hang with him for a while. Luckies," she grinned. "I guess they're still with him."

"Stop ignoring me!" Kyo grumbled. Receiving no acknowledgement, he stormed out and shouted over his shoulder, "Jeez, you guys are disgusting! Confess already and get it over with! You're too pathetic to look at any more!"

Shigure grinned at Kass's confused face and Haru's shocked one. Haru understood, but Kass, of course, didn't. "I'll leave you two alone," he said, still grinning, as he stood and strode out of the room.

"Uh, Haru? What did he mean, confess?" Haru opened his mouth, and-

"Kass-san? Kyo-kun? Are you home already?" came Tohru's voice from the front of the house.

"Yeah!" replied Kass. She shrugged at Haru and stood to go see Tohru and Yuki.

Haru sighed when she was out of earshot. "I thought so. She doesn't feel the same."

* * *

Next Chapter:

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't go in there!"

"Isn't it sweet?"

* * *

Sorry this is so short. I planned to write a lot more, but I just found out that the Alafi (sp?) River was most affected by Hurricane Frances, and that's where my best friend lives! So I gotta go try and get a hold of her! See you guys in the next chapter!


	7. Mood Swings and a Kitten

* * *

Hey people! I be back! And hurricane season is almost over! Whoopee! No more evil hurricanes trying to kill me! 

Also, one of my friends (Christina) said I was pathetic, that I had written one of those "get the guy" stories. That's not what this is. If I could choose an anime guy, it would be Vash! (As some of you may know, I adore him! Whee!) ((huggles Vash plushie)) I just wanted to write a Haru romance and was too lazy to come up with an original character, so I modeled her after me. I REPEAT! THIS IS NOT A STUPID "LET'S-PUT-OURSELVES-IN-THE-STORY" FICTIONS!!! I'M JUST LAZY!!!((huggles Vash some more)) The same friend also said that it was impossible for a girl my size to knock out grown men. I laughed in her face and proved to her that pressure points don't need to be hit hard to hurt someone. (I poked the point on the back of her neck and she shouted ouch really loud! It was funny!) Jeez, she likes to criticize me.

And those of you who were concerned for my other friend, she's fine! (thank God!) Her house is on a REALLY high bank so the flooding didn't even touch her! Hoorah! ((does a dance))

Standard disclaimers apply. (as if I actually owned the series. I wish.)

* * *

Kass slowly made her way down stairs. Kyo was rushing upstairs to his room and met her halfway up. They had somehow managed to become friends over the last two months, even though an occasional disagreement popped up every now and then. (A/N: see chapter six.)

"What's with you?" he asked, seeing her depressed expression.

"Go screw yourself," she mumbled.

"Hey, what's your problem?! I was just showin' a little concern!" Kyo quickly defended.

Kass looked back over her shoulder, and said quietly, while glaring, "Cramps." She continued downstairs.

"Tohru, do you have any pain killers?" Kass asked as Tohru rushed around the kitchen.

"Um, yes! There's some in the cabinet in our bathroom, Kass-kun," Tohru said, looking at Kass knowingly.

"Thanks," she replied, and started back upstairs.

(A/N: Oh man, I hate that time of month. Ugh. Poor Kass, but I need her to be irritable this chapter and this was all I could think of thanks to the pain in my back! Sorry....)

* * *

Kass slid into her desk and groaned. The painkillers had worn off faster than she thought. It was only one o' clock. She let herself fall forward and her forehead slammed against the wood. She made it halfway through the class without being noticed, then suddenly a wad of paper hit her on the back of the head, bouncing off onto the floor.

She slowly picked her head up and stared at the paper. Then turned and looked at Haru. Then back at the paper, then at Haru again. Finally, she picked up the wad and unwadded it. It was chibi Kass (of course) doubled over in pain being laughed at by floating chibi heads.

She glared at Haru, crumbled up the paper, and chucked it at the trashcan in the back of the room.

* * *

Haru slipped into the house. He hadn't gotten lost today either. He headed into the kitchen and pulled out a pre-made sandwich. Hatori was talking in the next room.

"-and since Shigure doesn't have a car, I have to take Kass to the airport next week," Hatori was saying to whoever was on the phone with him. "No, I can't....No..." He sighed. "Bye." He hung up.

"Kass is leaving next week?" Haru asked.

"You didn't know?" Hatori said, coming into the kitchen. "She was only staying for two and a half months."

"They kept saying three." Haru informed.

"Well, she was going to stay for an extra week, but her grandfather has developed cancer again, and she needs to leave as soon as she can to see him."

"Oh," Haru muttered.

* * *

Hatori sighed again. People just kept calling. He hadn't had time to get any work done. He was tempted not to answer, but he gave in. Before the phone even reached his ear he heard someone yelling on the other end: "Hey, Hatori! Can I talk to Haru?!"

"He's not here, Kass."

"Oh... Well... Where is he then?!"

"I don't know. He's out somewhere with Rin." Hatori massaged his temples as Kass bombarded him with questions about Rin. "Look, I have a lot of work to do and-"

"Fine! I'll ask Shigure!" Hatori heard a click on the other line. He placed the phone back in the receiver and turned to head back to his office when the phone rang again. This time he ignored it.

* * *

Yuki entered the kitchen to find Shigure and Kass deep in conversation at the table. Shigure was grinning, while Kass was frustrated and confused. That tended to happen if you talked to Shigure too long.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing!" Kass shouted quickly, dashing off. Shigure just grinned.

"What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing." His grin widened.

* * *

Shigure yawned and exited his office. His muse had suddenly hit again and had kept him up a few hours later than usual. "Hello, Kyo-kun," he yawned, heading towards the kitchen.

"Don't go in there!" Kyo shouted at Shigure. "She's homicidal!"

Shigure seemed confused for a moment, then realization hit, and his grin returned. He smiled and went back to his room.

* * *

When Yuki returned from his base the next day (that day being Sunday), he found Kass and Tohru squealing on the living room floor. Nearby was Kyo and a cat.

"They found me again," he growled as the cat rubbed against him.

Tohru and Kass had been playing with a kitten that had wandered in after the adult.

"Isn't it sweet!" Tohru cooed as she picked up the kitten.

"It's adorable!" Kass cried as Tohru handed the small cat to her. "Can it stay here?"

Shigure would have said no, but he could not refuse such cute pouting faces. "Very well," he sighed, surprising Kyo and Yuki.

"Yey!" Kass shouted, rubbing the little animal behind the ears.

* * *

Next Chapter:

"Oh! Oh! I know!"

"I'm leaving in a week."

"No! It's a sign of the apocalypse!"

* * *

Shwoof! That's a strange sound... anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! My muse appears to have abandoned me again, so I'm writing with writer's block. Curse my muse! I mean

Here! ((chucks plushies at reader people who reviewed)) cuz I forgetted to give you wonderful reviewers plushies last time, you get double plushies! But not my Vash! Or my Kuroneko! (the black cat the appears in every episode of Trigun) But you can have all the others! ((chucks more plushies at the people))

And I was planning on bringing Rin into this story, but since I haven't read the manga she's in, I can't put her in cause I have no idea what she even looks like. That really sucks cause I really wanted her in this chapter. Oh well. Anyway, I can't update like magic like when I first started this story anymore. My school work is getting harder, social life more complicated, etc, normal teen stuff, etc. So I can't write as often. But I will finish this story if it takes me three years! (I hope it doesn't)


	8. Mr Picky and a Letter From America

((sigh)) Okay, someone in my house ((coughmakaylacough)) didn't understand the last chapter. Yeah, it was pretty confusing. Sorry about that. Well, what happened was Kass started her period (cramps. Ouch) and Haru tried to cheer her up but it didn't work so he went out with Rin because he thought Kass was mad at him. Shigure explains Haru and Rin's relationship in the meanest way possible to make Kass upset. It works, she pouts, then they find a kitten! Sorry about the kitten thing. Sorta random there.

And those of you who don't know who Rin is, she is the horse of the zodiac (I think she's the horse. Right?). She's Haru's ex. Yeah. So naturally Kass would be upset. ((winkwink)) Especially with Shigure making things worse.

Standard disclaimers apply. (I'm really getting sick of putting that.)

* * *

"So!" Tohru shouted with excitement. "What should we name her?"

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Kass cried out, raising her hand as they giggled. "Name her puramu!"

"Plum?" Kyo asked. "What kinda name is plum?"

"A cute name." Kyo stared at her. "Fine. We won't name her plum!" Kass said, sticking her tongue out at Kyo.

"How about suiren?" Tohru suggested.

"Water lily? C'mon, it's a cat," Kyo grumbled. Why name a cat after something that lives in the water when they hate water? Girls never ceased to amaze him. Or confuse him.

"Fine, Mr. Picky. What about snow?" Kass asked. "Since she's white?"

"What does 'snow' mean?" Tohru asked. (A/N: Kass said snow in English, btw.)

"Yuki," she translated.

"Hell no!" Kyo said, standing up. "You are not naming that kitten yuki!"

"Calm down! I didn't say yuki, I said snow!"

"Same difference!"

"Ugh! You are so... ugh!" Kass screamed.

"Maybe... tsuki?" Tohru said timidly. Kass and Kyo turned at the same time and stared for a while. Then they turned back towards each other.

"You got a problem with 'moon,' too, Mr. Picky?" Kass muttered, glaring. Kyo just growled and walked off.

"Tsuki it is then!" Kass said with a smile.

* * *

Tsuki trotted along after Kass, batting at the trailing legs of her baggy pants. Kass giggled and picked her up. The small animal started purring and snuggling up under Kass's neck. She giggled some more and put the cat back down beside her.

She put a small bowl full of cat food they had just bought down in front of Tsuki. She watched in awe as the little thing gobbled down the entire bowl in less than fifteen seconds.

"Man, you were hungry weren't you?" Kass said, picking up the bowl and petting Tsuki lightly. "When was the last time you had a meal?"

Tsuki purred under her touch and weaved between her feet, rubbing up against her shoes. Kass couldn't help whispering, "You're so cute!"

"Thanks."

"Ah! Whoa. Sorry. I didn't know anyone else was here." She laughed nervously. It was Haru.

"Hatori told me you were upset yesterday." Tsuki had trotted over to him and was now sniffing his shoes. He picked her up and scratched behind her ears, making her purr softly. (A/N: I love kittens! They're so friendly!)

"I was not upset."

"He said you asked Shigure about Rin...." He trailed off, now scratching under Tsuki's chin. She sighed, waiting for him to continue. "He said that was really stupid."

"Ugh!" Kass through her arms up into the air. This was the third time today someone had implied that she was stupid. She sat down at the table and collapsed onto it. Tsuki jumped out of Haru's hands and trotted over to her.

"And anyway, whatever Shigure said was probably greatly exaggerated. I think I'm finally over Rin." Kass wondered how he could just come out and talk about his personal life like that, even if it was just that one little thing. The only person she ever said ANYTHING to was her little sister. No one else ever finds out about her feelings, not even her best friends. She started thinking about that, but Tsuki wouldn't let her.

The cat kept crawling over her back and finally settled on her head. She curled up and went to sleep. Kass glared at her and plucked her out of her hair, putting her on the floor.

"I'm leaving in two weeks," she said suddenly. "One and a half, actually. Next Wednsday."

"I know. Hatori told me."

"Oh. Ok then..." They trailed off into silence, when suddenly-

"Kass!" Momiji screamed, bounding into the room. "Let's go out somewhere!"

"Okay, Momiji!" She smiled as Tsuki leapt at Momiji. "Where to?"

"To the park!" he replied, throwing his arms into the air.

"Okay!" Kass stood and ran out of the room with Momiji, then ran back in. "Do you wanna come, Haru?"

"Sure," he said, standing and following the others out.

"Where did the kitty come from, Kass?" Momiji asked when Tsuki jumped at him and attached herself to his knee-high socks.

"Oh, she just showed up one day and Shigure said we could keep him." Haru and Momiji glanced at each other, then Momiji was thrown into a fit of laughter as Tsuki crawled up his sock.

"She tickles!" Kass plucked Tsuki off of Momiji and put her back by her refilled bowl of food.

"Stay here, Tsuki!"

"No! It's a sign of the apocalypse!" some random person shouted, waving their arms around in the air as they ran down the street in front of Shigure Sohma's house. The three friends had just come outside when the person suddenly appeared on their street. They stared at each other, then Kass suddenly took off after the person, screaming: "Ah! Someone save us! We're all gonna die!"

* * *

"Hm..." Tohru couldn't read the writing on the front of this letter. She was sure it was in English (because of the numbers) but she felt like it wasn't just for Kass. She took out a Japanese/English English/Japanese dictionary that Kass had given her and flipped through, translating slowly. She finally figured out the first line and found that it was for Kass's temporary guardian while she was in Japan. She took it to Shigure, who also couldn't read English.

(A/N: How the heck was it delivered if it was in English?... Oh well.)

They spent the next few hours deciphering with Kyo and Yuki (who was doing most of the deciphering) while Kass was out with Haru and Momiji. Even though it was just a few sentences, once they got it done it didn't make much sense so they had to rearrange it a bit. It was still a bit confusing, but they were all able to figure out what it meant.

Tohru gasped and put her hands to her mouth when she read the completed message. Shigure lost his grin (for once). Kyo and Yuki appeared emotionless, but all were troubled and concerned for their friend.

"How do we tell her? How can we just suddenly pull her aside and tell her that?" Kyo asked softly, mostly asking himself, while they all gawked at the message.

* * *

Next Chapter:

"Whoa! Hold the phone!"

"I am not crying!"

"Thank you, Haru."

* * *

Oo! What a cliffy! I'm so evil! But don't worry, my writer's block has temporarily left me and I finished chapter nine before I started this one. Freaky.... Anyway that means that chapter nine will be up within two days because I'm lazy and don't want to put it up now. (Oh I'm so mean! 3)

Did you like my randomness? Ah... I was probably that random person running down the street. Tee hee! I'm gonna do that this Halloween. I got it all planned out. I'm gonna dress up so no one recognizes me and then take off down the road! ((starts laughing hysterically))

OOO!! I just got volume four yesterday (of the Fruits Basket manga, of course) and I've fallen in love with Ayame! Not love, love, but he's now my favorite character (besides Haru, that is)! Whoo! Okay, enough of my pointless gibberish.


	9. Tragedy and Trickery

Awe! My new mascot is so cute! It's a GIR! He's sleeping! Oo! If I click him he says 'Yes, my master!' ((gets all hysterical over the cuteness of GIR)) Okay, sorry. Lost myself for a second there. But it's so CUTE!!!

What I wanted to say up here before I got distracted with the cuteness of GIR... ((gets distracted again)) ... uhh... anyway... I think I know why I'm suddenly compelled to write a bunch of serious, not funny at all romances. I'm starting to suspect I'm in love. Ya know, butterflies, nervousness, etc. even though I feel more comfortable around guys than girls this one just... I can't describe it.... Oh, gods I'm maturing. Somebody help me! Ah! Get me out of here! Ugh! Stupid teenage hormones and these damned mood swings and bizarre emotions I've never felt before! ((tear))

Standard disclaimers apply. (Seriously, it's getting annoying typing this every time.)

* * *

"Kass-chan...," Tohru began, not really knowing how to break the news.

"Yeah?" Kass said, urging Tohru to continue. She was in a hurry to finish the comic book she had just started working on. Tsuki jumped off of her back and snuck under her arm, studying the pages as if she could actually read them. Kass chuckled and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Your grandfather...," Tohru began, cutting herself off again. At 'grandfather' Kass sat up, actually paying attention.

"What happened? What about my gran'pa?"

"What?" Kyo asked. She was talking in English again, which she had done accidentally from time to time.

"What happened to my grandfather?" she asked again in Japanese.

"We've received a letter from America...," Tohru said, trying again and failing again.

"What?! What happened?!" Kass was getting worried now.

Yuki stepped in for Tohru, who obviously couldn't break the news. "Kass-san... your grandfather passed away a few days ago." Kass froze. Tohru and Momiji began to get teary eyed.

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold the phone!" She backed up against the wall. She started shaking her head, putting her hands up to her ears. "No, no. It can't.... No! It's a joke, isn't it? Just some cruel joke you decided to pull!"

"Kass-chan... I...." Tohru didn't know what to say. She looked helplessly at her friend, who was sinking deeper into denial.

"Just go away!" Kass screamed. "Leave me alone!"

Tohru reached out, but Yuki stopped her. He shook his head and lead Tohru out of the room. Kyo stared at Kass, who was now curled up in a corner, for a moment longer then followed Yuki and Tohru out of the room. Shigure glanced over at Momiji and Haru. He grinned despite the tragedy as an idea formed.

"Come, Momiji. Kass needs to be alone," he said, rushing the blonde boy outside.

"But Haru-" The door slid closed, muffling the rest of his words. Haru stood perfectly still, watching Kass in the corner. She roughly wiped the corner of her eyes, sniffling as quietly as she could.

"It's okay to cry."

"I'm not crying!" she shouted, bitterly.

"Then you don't really care about him."

Kass looked up, shocked. Then her face twisted with anger. "Yes I do!" She was more upset than he had ever seen her. "Don't you dare say that ever again! Don't you dare!" A tear rolled down her cheek. She put her head in her hands and began to sob. Haru remained where he was. It had worked. She was showing her emotions.

"He's gone," she whispered. "He died and I wasn't there. I wasn't there. I can't even be there for the funeral. I wasn't there for him." She started hiccupping between her small sobs.

"And now he's gone forever!" She was starting to hyperventilate, and now Haru walked over and sat beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Talk about him." She looked up and stared, then smiled slightly in understanding. She began talking about when she was little, her grandfather showing her how to do all these silly things you'd normally teach an immature little boy. She laughed, remembering how her mother used to threaten him if he taught her anything else, then he'd go and teach her the sickest thing he knew.

(A/N: The next few paragraphs are just Kass remembering stuff about her grandfather, so if you don't want to read that, don't. Because it doesn't exactly contribute that much to the story, other than a glimpse at some of Kass's childhood.... Which is my childhood.... So you're gonna be reading about me.... So.... Don't read! Don't read it I beg of you!)

"He... he taught me how to spit sunflower seeds over fifty feet." She smiled. "I spit one in my mom's hair... it was there for an hour before she found it. She got so mad at us.... Oh, and one time, he showed me how to spit up a really big loogie and then spit it out the window so whoever went up to the door would step in it!

"He was also the one that got me into video games and football. He taught me to throw a pro-size football when I was like seven. Oh, and that Easter at my aunt's annual Easter Egg Hunt he taught me how to climb trees. My mother looked ready to strangle him when she came out and saw me thirty feet up that giant oak." She started laughing hysterically and ended up her rolling around on the floor (with Tsuki licking at her face, not knowing what the heck Kass was doing rolling around on the floor). When she recovered, she went on.

"When I'd come over he'd get out this big collection of plane books and show me how to make houses in the hallway with them. And he and Gran'ma taught me how to swim in their pool. Every time I visited after that we'd have to race. He didn't go easy on me like everyone else, and when I did manage to beat him it felt so great." She sighed. Her tears had long since vanished, replaced with happy memories and stories. Things to teach her younger cousins and maybe even her kids (if she ever has any) when she grew up. The thought that so long as she was still here, he would be too.

(A/N: that was like... so sappy...)

* * *

Kass and Haru finally left the room to find that they couldn't find anyone. (A/N: confusing sentence, no?)

Kass was beginning to feel uncomfortable in the silence, and decided to shatter it with a brick and then smash it into little tiny bit sized pieces. "WALRUSES AND CORN NUTS!!!" she screamed as loud as she could, causing a few birds outside to squawk and fly away.

"Oops. Sorry!" she giggled at Tsuki, who had stiffened and fallen over at the sudden noise. Kass was still feeling pretty bad, okay really bad, but talking and remembering had helped a little.

"Um.... Thank you, Haru," she said quietly. "I.... I'm just... not used to showing my emotions.... And... this is the first time I have since I was really little.... Besides getting pissed and being supremely happy all the time, that is." She blushed. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt that that was a strange thing to say.

"Uh, I'm gonna go... finish my comic book." She dashed off to her room. When she got there, she spied a picture. She picked it up. It was the one of her and her grandparents at the last family get-together. She felt her eyes start to dampen again and this time, she didn't try to stop them.

* * *

Next Chapter:

"I'm gonna go for a walk out back."

"Did Kyo eat all your cat food?"

"You really piss me off!"

* * *

Guess what! I got a beatnik! Whoo! You all know what a beatnik is right? If you don't, it's those people usually portrayed as guys with pointy beards that play bongos and talk in riddles and recite confusing poetry and snap their fingers and say man a lot. (Those of you that watch Crash Box, Sketch is a beatnik.) Anyway, my Invisible-Friend-That-Looks-Like-Me-Named-Bobette got me a beatnik as an early birthday present! So incredibly cool! His name is Pete. Pete the Beatnik. How awesomely awesome is that?!

Anyway, back to serious issues. I apologize if I have offended anyone by saying 'gods' in the opening author's note. But the fact is, I'm spiritual agnostic so it doesn't bother me at all to be saying something like that so I have no idea if it offends any religious people out there.

Thank you for reading through my aimless blabber. Now if you could just do me one more small favor and review? Please? I'll make my beatnik write you a confusing poem if you do!

* * *

(Note: Pete is not a real person. He is a figment of my imagination. I call him my beatnik because he is a beatnik I made up. I am not encouraging you all to go out there and enslave a beatnik, cause then they get all freaky and won't write poetry anymore. Lol. I'm just playin! But that did sound really cool to say that! Haha! I'm weird...)


	10. A Walk in the Woods and Missing Cat Food

Wee! I'm gonna put all my author's notes at the bottom from now on because I think you guys are more likely to read it after you finish the chapter, where as when it's up here, you may skip it and just start reading the story. I know I do that sometimes when they are supremely long notes.

Standard disclaimers apply. (If you don't know what that means, consider yourself virtually slapped. (That means I slapped you...))

* * *

"Kass-chan?" Tohru said, climbing the stairs back up towards her and Kass's bedroom. "Kass-chan? We have to go, or we'll be late. Kass-chan?"

Tohru opened the door to find Kass curled up still in her PJ's staring at a picture. The corner of her eyes glittered as tears started to form again.

"Oh.... Well.... I'll tell everyone you aren't feeling well," Tohru offered. Kass looked up and smiled.

"Thank you, Tohru." Tohru smiled and hurried down stairs. Kass heard Kyo's voice but couldn't make out what was being said. She heard the door slide open, then shut and heard soft footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Kass?" Shigure asked, rapping on the door.

"What?"

"Just seeing if you were awake." Kass glared at the door. She was suspicious. She got dressed quickly and left her room, still holding the picture. She found Shigure in the kitchen, reading the paper. He smiled and she backed away.

"I'm gonna go for a walk out back," she said, inching away from Shigure, who was still smiling.

"All right," he said, going back to his newspaper. He creeped her out this morning for some reason.

She stepped out the back door into the fresh morning air and began walking....

* * *

"Kass-chan?" Tohru shouted, heading for the stairs as soon as she got home.

"She went out for a walk out back and hasn't come in yet," Shigure said, coming into the front room.

"When did she leave?"

"Oh, right after you three left."

"She's been gone that long and you aren't worried?" Yuki said, coming into the room.

"Some guardian you are," Kyo grumbled, stomping towards his room.

"Oh, hello, Haru! Hi, Momiji!" Shigure greeted the pair as they entered.

"Hey."

"Hello! Where is Kass?" Momiji asked. They had been worried when she hadn't shown up at school.

"Shigure let her go out for a walk this morning and she hasn't come back," Kyo snarled, coming back to the group.

"Shouldn't we go look for her?" Tohru asked, timidly.

"Yes! Let's go!" Momiji cried, pulling the others out the door.

"Uh, she went for a walk in the woods out back," Kyo pointed out. They were all turned towards the back of the house and ushered towards the back door.

They split into teams, Tohru with Kyo and Yuki, of course, and Momiji and Haru. They went off in different directions, both eventually circling back.

It was Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo that found her, lying on her back with her hands tucked under her head, staring up at the sky.

"Kass-chan!" Tohru cried out, rushing towards her. "We've been looking for you!"

Kass didn't answer. She just kept staring up at the clouds, gently making their way across the light blue sky. She exhaled deeply, just as Haru and Momiji were approaching on the other side. They had heard Tohru's voice and come to see if they had found her.

"Kass!" Momiji shouted, rushing over like Tohru had. He beamed. "Hello, Kass-chan!"

She still said nothing.

"Hey, say something, will ya?!" Kyo said. Kass exhaled deeply again and smiled, closing her eyes.

"Isn't it wonderful...," she said softly, trailing off.

"What?!"

"Isn't it great to be here?" She was sitting up now, staring out at the horizon.

"No. We just spent all that time walking around these stupid woods looking for-"

"I meant, isn't it great to be alive?" Everyone stared at her. She slowly stood up and brushed the grass and leaves off of her back. "Isn't it wonderful to be here, experiencing this moment...? Isn't it perfect to just... be?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kyo had voiced everyone's thoughts at that moment. Kass was so calm and relaxed, almost as if she were half-asleep. But she was more aware of everything around her than she had ever been before.

"I'm talking about the miracle of living. The beauty of life that we all take for granted. The wonder of the simple things that we completely ignore until it's too late." She turned to face them all. She stared deeply into each of their eyes, one by one. "I'm talking about the wonder of existence."

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I've had an epiphany. That's all. An epiphany that we all waste our lives, distracted by petty matters that don't really matter while our existence drifts away. Then one day, we cease to be, and it's all over."

She opened her eyes and smiled at the five teenagers before her. "Come on! Let's go back to the house!" They all stared at her, pondering what she had just told them, while she walked up and grabbed the hands of the two closest people, them being Yuki and Momiji. She dragged them back towards Shigure's house, humming all the way, the others closely following.((1))(Author's note at the end of chapter)

* * *

"Good bye, Momiji!" Kass smiled, waving as he skipped down the sidewalk. She came back inside, still beaming.

"Why are you so happy, now?" Kyo asked, thinking about what Tohru had said this morning.

"I just realized that Gran'pa wouldn't have wanted me to waste my life mourning his death. So I'm just paying more attention to the little things. It isn't that hard. You should try it. It might help that grumpy attitude of yours," she said, smiling at him. He just scoffed and turned away.

Tsuki suddenly bounded down the hall, leaping at Kass and meowing. "What's the matter?" she said, picking her up.

Kass walked into the kitchen and found that her food dish (which she had filled with two cans of food right before she left this morning) was empty and the rest of the cans where gone. "Where's her food?" she called.

"It's not there?" Yuki asked.

"Nope, and if she had eaten the food she'd be fatter. I had a kitten when I was little that did that. His stomach was huge the rest of the day." Tsuki meowed again. "Did Kyo eat all your cat food?"

"Hey!" Kyo yelled.

"Calm down, I was kidding!" Tohru muffled a giggle while she helped Kass look for the food. To make a long story short, they searched the whole kitchen and found no sign of the missing cat food.

"I think you did eat it," Kass joked when they couldn't find a single can.

"You really piss me off!" Kyo grumbled. "That isn't funny!"

Kass sighed.

"I guess I'll have to go buy some more." She ran upstairs, grabbed her wallet and rushed back down to the kitchen. She waved, heading for the front door. "See you guys when I get back."

"Where are you going?" Shigure asked, coming into the kitchen.

"To go buy some more cat food for Tsuki. The rest of the cans mysteriously went missing," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"All by yourself?" he asked, leaving with his snack. It _was_ starting to get dark outside, and even though she could take care of herself if something were to happen, it did make her a little nervous to be wandering around alone at night.

"Fine," she said. "You guys wanna come?"

"Nothing better to do," Haru muttered, stepping forward.

"Tohru? Yuki? Kyo? Any of you wanna come?" They shook their heads.

"Sohma-kun was going to help me with my homework," Tohru said.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Kyo muttered, going into the back of the house.

"Okay then. See you guys later."

* * *

"Here you are!" the clerk said, smiling as she handed Kass the bag.

"Thank you!" she smiled back. They left the store in silence. The sun had set while they were inside and most of the other stores were closing. The streetlights suddenly flickered on, illuminating the sidewalk. Kass looked up at the sky, smiling and admiring the stars. "'While I'm young and while I'm able all I wanna do is....' "((2))

She looked over at Haru. He was staring at the ground and deep in thought. 'Might as well tell him, now. It's as good a time as any.'

"Haru?" She inhaled deeply.

"Hm?" he asked, coming out of his thoughts. He noticed she was really nervous about something. "What?"

"Um.... Never mind," she said quickly, loosing her nerve. They walked the rest of the way back to Shigure's in silence.

* * *

Author's Notes:

((1)) That really happened to me. I woke up one day and realized that we waste our lives doing trivial nonsense. No one appreciates being, and when our time comes, there is always a regret. A 'I wish I had done this,' or 'I wish I had done that.' So ... that was my inspiration for this part of the story. To try to get people to enjoy life while you're alive, because you ain't getting another chance.... Pretty deep for a kid that's not even fourteen yet, huh? (I'm turning 14 in December! Oh yeah!)

((2)) That line is a quote from one of my favorite songs, J.A.R. by Green Day, which is one of my favorite bands. You should listen to it. It's beautiful. Describes exactly the philosophical point I tried to get across when they found Kass in the woods

* * *

.

Next Chapter:

"Tsuki's missing!"

"About time."

"One more week."

* * *

Gah! ((dies)) I am dead. Having been shot by B-chan for mocking beatniks. ((laughing)) I apologize if I have offended anyone out there by mocking beatniks. Beatniks are people, too. Just like those three-legged hippies. Haha! Inside joke. A kid at school tried to say 'tree-huggin hippy' but it came out three-legged. Haha! ((starts laughing hysterically))

Oh, and about the philosophy thing. If you could do me a favor, and ask others what they think about life and try to make them open up to the idea that once it's gone, it's gone, I'd greatly appreciate it. I tried at my school, but everyone looked at me like I was crazy. No one seemed to want to realize that they should enjoy, not waste. So now I'm trying to tell people here. I hope I've given you something to think about.


	11. A Missing Kitten and Finally Together

Hey, readers! Like I said last chapter, all author's notes will be at the end of the chapter. Enjoy your note-free chapter!

Standard disclaimers apply. (Yawn. I'm sleepy.)

* * *

Kass and Haru found the house quiet, for once. Kass went to put away the new cat food and found that the old cans had somehow reappeared. She angrily put the cans up and opened up a new one for Tsuki.

"Tsuki! Food's here!" Kass waited for a few minutes, and when Tsuki didn't come bounding out of the shadows towards the food, she began to worry. Tsuki hadn't missed a meal yet, and Kass didn't think the kitten would start now, considering she hadn't eaten all day.

They waited in the kitchen for a few more moments and when Tsuki didn't show up, they split up and searched the house with Yuki and Tohru. They could find hide nor hair of the missing kitty.

"Great! First the cat food, now the cat!" Kass said, frustrated and worried. "What if she got out when I left?! Oh no!"

"What?" Kyo asked, coming inside. "What's the matter?"

"Tsuki's missing! I have to go find her!" With that Kass bounded out the door, running down the street, calling Tsuki's name over and over. The others ran after her. After about an hour of wandering the city, screaming 'Tsuki! Tsuki!' at the top of their lungs, they began to loose hope of ever finding the kitten.

* * *

Kass slumped down on a bench, an expressionless look on her face. Tohru sat down beside her and put an arm around her friend. The boys just stood around.

"We should get home, Kass-chan," Tohru said. "It's really late."

"You guys can go home. I'm finding Tsuki. Even if I have to stay out all night, I'm gonna find her."

"But Kass-chan...," Tohru stopped herself. Kass was too stubborn. If she said she would stay out all night, she would stay out all night and that's that.

"Go home, you guys. I'll be fine by myself."

"C'mon. She says she'll be fine so let's go already." Kyo stood off to the side, ready to go. Tohru reluctantly stood and left with Yuki and Kyo. Haru stayed because Kass was heading in the direction of his house anyway.

They searched together as they neared his home and just when Kass had given up all hope, Haru reached into a bush by the sidewalk and pulled out a shivering kitten.

"Tsuki!" Kass plucked her from Haru's hands and held her tight. "How did you know she was there?"

"I heard her meowing. You were thinking too hard. Otherwise you would have heard it, too."

Kass smiled. "Thank you so much! I would have just passed right by her!" She looked down at her feet, suddenly finding her shoes very interesting.

"Um... I was gonna say this earlier but... um.... Well, I.... I think I.... Um.... That is.... Oh, the hell with it!" she said, lurching forward and pressed her lips to Haru's. Then she promptly blushed and ran away. Not ran, exactly, more like scurried. She disappeared and Haru stood there staring after her.

* * *

'Oh my God, I can not believe I actually did that! Why in the seven hells DID I do it? Why couldn't I just SAY it?! Curse my shyness to the seventh hell!' Kass plopped down on the bed with Tsuki still in her arms. The kitten meowed loudly and Kass jumped.

"I bet you want your food, huh?" She placed the small animal on the ground and watched her scurry downstairs towards her food dish.

Then she went back to thinking about how stupid she was. Then, about her favorite radio stations and how many good songs she was missing out on. Then she thought about monkeys and penguins. Then about countless other random things before finally falling asleep.

* * *

The next day of school passed without a word said between the two. When school was let out, Kass rushed off home without so much as a word to anyone. Haru walked to Shigure's with Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru, not really sure why he was doing it but doing it anyway.

He found Kass in the living room, in front of the TV. She was staring blankly at the screen. He sat down next to her. She kept staring at the screen.

"Um...," Kass started, but stopped. What the heck should she say?

"I feel the same," Haru said suddenly, making Kass jump. She stared, then smiled. He smiled back when suddenly-

"About time!" they heard Kyo shout. He was leaning against the doorframe, staring at them. "You guys were getting pathetic!"

"You should talk!" Kass snapped back. "What about Tohru? When are you planning on telling her, hm? Aww... did I make the kitty mad?"

Kyo glared at her and stomped off. Kass smiled to herself and rested her head on Haru's shoulder. "One more week."

"Hm?" Haru asked.

"One more week of paradise."

* * *

That Sunday

* * *

Kass sighed. She had three more days here. Three more days to spend with some of the best friends she'd ever had (even if they were a little... odd). She heard someone coming down the hall and glanced up. It was Haru (who else?), with Tsuki attached to his pants. She had been doing that a lot lately. Kass giggled and pulled her off as Haru sat down beside her.

"Hey."

"Hi, Haru," she said gloomily. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I don't wanna leave."

Haru was about to say something when Tohru suddenly burst into the room, sobbing.

"Tohru? What's wrong?" Kass said, standing up.

"Nothing. I just realized you're leaving in three days. I'm okay." She sniffled. "I'd better get lunch started."

"Tohru, we just ate breakfast."

"I know, but I wanted to make something new today."

"Alright...," Kass said, unsure about what to do. So she sat back down and rested her head on Haru's shoulder while she petted Tsuki.

"Get a room!" Kyo shouted from down the hall.

"Go away, Kyo." Haru said.

"Yeah. Go away. You're annoying," Kass added.

"Why don't the two of you go away?!" Kyo snapped back.

"Because we're comfy here and we were here first," Kass said, turning her attention to Tsuki.

"That stupid American has actually gotten _more_ annoying since you became a couple!" Kyo said to himself.

"You can't talk, Kyo." Haru grinned.

"Yeah. You've yet to say anything to Tohru and you've been living with her for how long now?" Kass smirked as well. It was fun to tease Kyo about Tohru. He went so ballistic.

"You shut up! That's none of your business!"

"Awe, poor Kyo. We made him mad." Kass smirked some more. She could swear she saw steam coming from Kyo's ears.

"He had it coming," Haru muttered.

"Yup."

_THE END_

* * *

Guess what! I finally got the WHOLE second book! So now I know about Hatori! AND I got the fifth one! I'm so happy!

I apologize for suddenly ending it there without warning, but this was all my muse allowed me to write. Try as I might, she wouldn't let me write anymore! I will write an epilogue though, which I will make as long as I can.... Which probably won't be very long.... But anyway...

I have a very important announcement for all of you. I repeat, **IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!! PAY ATTENTION!!! **Ahem. When I finish the epilogue for this story, I will no longer be posting any true fanfictions on this site. I have realized that my constant creating of OC stories is because I enjoy creating new characters, and not because I'm just untalented and can't think of plots without throwing in someone new (though some anonymous people seem to think that...). And without OCs, I probably wouldn't have any stories (besides my tragedy one-shots) up on F-F-Net. I think I am just too creative to be bound by preset characters and plots. I also think that is why I suffer from a nearly constant writer's block. My muse (she has a name now, Xyl, pronounced Zill, like pill with a 'z') did not enjoy being trapped in other people's work. So this is my goodbye story.

I will be posting one more story after this, a Matrix inspired fiction that is only a fanfiction because it is based off of the Matrix. I created every character in that story, as well as the plot (obviously), and the original Matrix characters do not appear, so this is my final true fanfiction. I will only be posting my work on from now on, under the pen name Houseki, of course. I want to thank everyone that has read and reviewed my works here. Your praise and comments mean a lot to me, and I hope some of you will take the time to read my original work. Thank you again and, since there will be no author's notes in the epilogue, goodbye. ((bows and leaves))


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue:

Kass stood in the airport lobby, surrounded by her friends. She felt tears coming up, but forced them back down. Tohru and Momiji were already sobbing and her plane wasn't leaving for three hours. She sat down next to Haru and sighed.

She suppressed a giggle as Yuki and Kyo started fighting again. What was even funnier was what they were fighting about. Tohru had sat down on the other side of Kass and they were fighting because both wanted the seat next to her. Momiji solved their problems for them by plopping down in the chair before they saw him.

Yuki took the seat by Momiji and Kyo took the one on Haru's other side. Shigure had nowhere to sit, as their little group filled every chair in that row. Kass and Tohru started talking about whatever, with Momiji butting in every now and then. Yuki just sat and listened while Kyo remained strangely silent.

Then, inevitably, Kyo leapt up and started shouting at Haru, who stood and started shouting back. Great. His black side. Kass had no idea what they were fighting about and didn't really care. She stood up and stared for a moment.

"Shut up, damn kid!"

"You shut up!"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Kass screamed at the top of her lungs, whacking them both upside the head, then sitting down to continue talking to Tohru as if nothing had happened. The other people in the airport stared....

"Flight 132, departing for America is now boarding. Flight 132 to America, now boarding," the voice over the intercoms said. Kass stood stiffly.

"That's my flight." She looked around at the faces of the people around her, and she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She squinted as they rolled down her cheeks. "I'm gonna miss you guys so much!"

"You can't leave, Kass-chan!" Momiji cried, hugging her arm as Kass hugged Tohru.

"I promise I'll come back over summer vacation!" Kass said through tears.

"Promise?"

"Definitely!" Momiji smiled and let go of her arm. She turned to Haru, and it was her turn to grab someone's arm, since she couldn't hug him. She stayed latched to his arm the whole walk to the boarding dock (or whatever its called). She didn't care that she was crying her eyes out in public.

She stood at the door of the boarding hall, clutching her carry-ons and letting the tears roll down her cheeks.

"Miss," the flight attendant said politely. "Miss, we must depart now. You must board the plane."

Kass nodded, and began walking down the passage. The flight attendant followed and closed the door.

The Sohmas and Tohru watched from the lobby as Kassandra Lea Herb's plane left the runway and disappeared over the horizon.

* * *

Fast forward to summer

* * *

Kass stood on the doorstep of Shigure Sohma's, suddenly becoming nervous. She slowly reached her hand out to knock when she heard Kyo's raised voice. She grinned and slammed open the door.

"Shut up, Kyo! You're givin' me a headache already and I just got here!"

"Kass-chan!" Tohru cried, rushing into the room and hugging her friend.

"Great. The American's back," Kyo said from the doorway. A small grin was on his face despite himself.

"And look who else is here!" Kass beamed as she turned around and plucked a white cat from her leg.

"Tsuki!" Tohru smiled. "She's gotten big!"

"Yup! But she's still latching onto people's legs. I walked all the way here with her stuck to my pants!"

"Kass!" Shigure beamed, as Kass and Tohru entered the living room. He greeted her and went back to a novel he was using as 'research.' Kass smiled and looked around. Something was missing.... Ah! Yuki wasn't there. She was about to ask where he was when he suddenly entered the room. He saw Kass, stopped, and... stayed there.

"Not even a 'hello?' Man, don't I feel loved," Kass muttered sarcastically, grinning. "Hey, Shigure?! Can I call Momiji and Haru?"

"Go right ahead, Kass-san!"

"Awesome!"

Within minutes Momiji and Haru arrived and Tohru cooked up a huge meal to celebrate Kass's six week return. Kass smiled when they where all stuffed to the bursting point and whispered to herself: "No way in Hell am I ever leaving here again."

"What did you say, Kass?!" Momiji said from beside her.

"I said pass me that last piece of pie! I'm still hungry!"

End epilogue.


End file.
